Multivariate models of men's and women's partner aggression.

This exploratory study was designed to address how multiple factors drawn from varying focal models and ecological levels of influence might operate relative to each other to predict partner aggression, using data from 453 representatively sampled couples. The resulting cross-validated models predicted approximately 50% of the variance in men's and women's partner aggression. The 3 strongest direct predictors of partner aggression for men and women were dominance/jealousy, marital adjustment, and partner responsibility attributions. Three additional direct paths to aggression for men were exposure to family-of-origin aggression, anger expression, and perceived social support. The 1 additional direct path for women was a history of their own aggression as a child or teenager. Implications for more integrative theories and intervention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The occurrence of partner physical aggression on days of alcohol consumption: A longitudinal diary study.

The likelihood of partner physical aggression on days of male partners' alcohol consumption, during a 15-month period, was examined for men entering a domestic violence treatment program (n=137) and domestically violent men entering an alcoholism treatment program (n=135). For men entering the domestic violence treatment program (alcoholism treatment program odds in parentheses), the odds of any male-to-female physical aggression were more than 8 times (11 times) higher on days when men drank than on days of no alcohol consumption. The odds of severe male-to-female physical aggression were more than 11 times (11 times) higher on days of men's drinking than on days of no drinking. These findings support the proximal effect model of alcohol use and partner violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Persist. persist.: A qualitative study of women's decisions to disclose and their perceptions of the impact of routine screening for intimate partner violence.

Objective: To understand the conditions under which a group of women recruited from antenatal, mental health, and substance abuse services disclose abuse in response to routine screening for intimate partner violence and their constructions of the impact of routine screening. Method: In-depth interviews with 20 women followed up 6 months after disclosing abuse in response to screening. Results: Women were in diverse situations relating to trajectories of abuse that included continued abuse despite interventions and abuse cessation within relationship. Women disclosed their abuse after making active judgments about safety on three dimensions: from the abuser, from shame and from relinquishing control. Most women described valued impacts from screening, though this was less common for those who had previous contact with statutory agencies. The process of asking shaped constructions of abuse, giving name to it. Health workers' responses to disclosures often helped to create a sense of connection. Conclusions: These effects align with Herman's work identifying naming and reconnection as important steps in recovery from trauma. The diversity of women's situations may explain difficulties in achieving significant findings by RCTs on screening impacts. Screening can bring about important changes for some women and is not simply a strategy for identification and referral. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The context of aggressive behavior in marriage: A longitudinal study of newlyweds.

Under what circumstances are spouses more or less likely to engage in aggressive behaviors? To address this question, the current study drew on multiple longitudinal assessments of 1st-married newlyweds to examine correlates of within-subject variability in aggressive behavior. Controlling for marital satisfaction, the authors found that spouses were more likely to engage in physical aggression at times when they engaged in higher levels of psychological aggression. Additionally, husbands reporting higher levels of chronic stress were more likely to engage in physical aggression overall and were more likely to engage in physical aggression when they were experiencing higher than average levels of acute stress. These results highlight how demands and supports in the context external to a marriage may affect processes within the marriage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Estimating the number of American children living in partner-violent families.

The number of American children living in partner-violent households was estimated from a nationally representative sample of 1,615 dual-parent households. Approximately 15.5 million American children were estimated to live in families in which partner violence had occurred at least once in the previous year, with 7 million estimated to live in families in which severe partner violence had occurred. The prevalence of partner violence was higher among couples with children than among couples without children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent and Partner Violence in Families With Young Children: Rates, Patterns, and Connections.

In this study, the authors assessed men's and women's partner and parent physical aggression among 453 representatively sampled families with young children. The prevalences of partner aggression and of severe parent aggression were higher than previously reported. Substantial rates of co-occurrence were found. Risk ratios and regression analyses indicated that connections between (a) husbands' and wives' partner aggression and (b) mothers' and fathers' parent aggression were especially strong. Patterns of co-occurrence pointed to the probable relative importance of family-level, in comparison with individual, predictors of aggression. Patterns of co-occurring violence are described in light of the theoretical literature. Implications for studying family violence in community samples are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impelling and inhibiting forces in the perpetration of intimate partner violence.

The huge corpus of research identifying risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) has outpaced theoretical models explaining how these risk factors combine to exert their effects. This report presents a 2-stage process model investigating how a previously nonviolent interaction between intimate partners escalates to IPV. The first stage examines whether at least one partner experiences strong violence-impelling forces, which lead the individual to experience action tendencies toward IPV. The second examines whether the partner experiencing violence-impelling forces suffers from weak violence-inhibiting forces, which would otherwise serve to override such action tendencies. This model extends previous research by emphasizing the importance of inhibitory processes in IPV and by imposing a new conceptual structure on the identified IPV risk factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intergenerational transmission of relationship aggression: A prospective longitudinal study.

The present study examined whether physical and verbal aggression in the family of origin were associated with similar patterns of aggression in young adult couples. Hypotheses were tested using a sample of 213 focal individuals who were followed from adolescence to adulthood. Results suggested that aggression in the family when focal participants were adolescents predicted aggression with romantic partners when participants were adults. The association between interparental aggression and later aggression in adult romantic unions was partially mediated through parents' aggression to focal participants when they were adolescents. Both physical and verbal aggression revealed the same pattern of findings. All together, these findings are consistent with a developmental-interactional perspective (Capaldi & Gorman-Smith, 2003) concerning the developmental origins of aggression in intimate relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Precipitants of partner aggression.

Self-reported precipitants of psychological and physical partner aggression were examined in a community sample of 453 cohabiting couples with 3- to 7-year-old children. Partners precipitated most partner aggression. Men, but not maritally discordant men, were more likely than women to cite physical partner aggression as the precipitant of their own aggression. Women, including maritally discordant women, were more likely to endorse partner verbal than partner physical aggression as a precipitant for their own mild physical aggression, which is consistent with women's aggression escalation. Nonaggressive partner precipitants were common and deserve future research attention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Low-level relationship aggression and couple therapy outcomes.

Increasing evidence supports the efficacy of conjoint therapies that focus on intimate partner violence for couples who engage in mild to moderate physical aggression but want to preserve the relationship and end the aggression. However, there has been no examination of how this population responds to couple therapy that does not have a specific focus on aggression. This lacuna in the research literature is of concern because couples with a history of low-level aggression often seek couple therapy, but couple therapy without a focus on violence is thought to potentially exacerbate aggression. In the current study, the authors examined the efficacy of non-aggression-focused behavioral couple therapy for couples with and without a history of mild physical aggression. One hundred thirty-four couples, 45% of whom had experienced low-level aggression in the year prior to therapy, completed up to 26 sessions of couple therapy and 2 years of follow-up assessments. Results demonstrated no significant differences in relationship and individual outcomes by history of aggression. In addition, couples maintained very low levels of physical aggression during and after treatment and showed reductions in psychological aggression when relationship and individual functioning improved. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patterns of adjustment among siblings exposed to intimate partner violence.

This research explored and compared patterns of adjustment in siblings exposed to intimate partner violence. The quality of family relationships were investigated as potential mechanisms that accounted for heterogeneity in these patterns. Participants included 47 sibling pairs and their mothers recruited from the community. Mothers and children reported on child adjustment measures and the quality of family relationships. Five cluster patterns were identified for both younger and older siblings, replicating three identified in previous research: primarily internalizing symptoms, a combination of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and an asymptomatic cluster. There was little overlap in cluster membership within families; most siblings differed in terms of their pattern of adjustment. The quality of family relationships varied significantly across clusters. Overall, asymptomatic siblings reported the most positive family relationships. Maternal warmth differed across clusters for both older and younger siblings, while maternal hostility varied across clusters for older but not younger siblings. The quality of sibling relationships also differed across clusters for older but not younger siblings. These findings underscore the importance of examining differential sibling experiences within violent families, and demonstrate the significance of family relationships as a mediating mechanism influencing heterogeneous child adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Posttraumatic stress disorder and physical health symptoms among women seeking help for relationship aggression.

This study examined associations between intimate partner aggression and physical health symptoms among a sample of help-seeking women experiencing relationship aggression (N = 388). Using a structural equation modeling framework, the authors found posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms to fully mediate the associations of both physical and psychological aggression with physical health symptoms. The influence of PTSD symptoms on physical health symptoms was partially mediated by anger/irritability. Results were consistent with studies from other trauma groups suggesting that PTSD is pivotal with respect to explaining the effects of trauma on health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Partner aggression and children's externalizing problems: Maternal and partner warmth as protective factors.

This research examined maternal and partner warmth as moderators of the relation between men's intimate partner aggression and children's externalizing problems. Participants were 157 mothers and their children (ages 7-9 years). Results indicate that maternal and partner warmth each moderated the relation between men's intimate partner aggression and children's externalizing problems. Partner-to-mother aggression was positively associated with child reports of externalizing problems at lower, but not higher, levels of maternal warmth. Similarly, partner-to-mother aggression was positively associated with mother reports of girls', but not boys', externalizing problems at lower, but not higher, levels of maternal warmth. On the other hand, the moderating effect of partner warmth was in the opposite direction and was found only with child-reported externalizing problems. Increased levels of partner-to-mother aggression related positively to child-reported externalizing problems when partners were higher, but not lower, in warmth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interventions for intimate partner violence: Review and implications for evidence-based practice.

The objective of this article was to survey available intimate partner violence (IPV) treatment studies with (a) randomized case assignment, and (b) at least 20 participants per group. Studies were classified into 4 categories according to primary treatment focus: perpetrator, victim, couples, or child-witness interventions. The results suggest that extant interventions have limited effect on repeat violence, with most treatments reporting minimal benefit above arrest alone. There is a lack of research evidence for the effectiveness of the most common treatments provided for victims and perpetrators of IPV, including the Duluth model for perpetrators and shelter–advocacy approaches for victims. Rates of recidivism in most perpetrator- and partner-focused treatments are approximately 30% within 6 months, regardless of intervention strategy used. Couples treatment approaches that simultaneously address problems with substance abuse and aggression yield the lowest recidivism rates, and manualized child trauma treatments are effective in reducing child symptoms secondary to IPV. This review shows the benefit of integrating empirically validated substance abuse and trauma treatments into IPV interventions and highlights the need for more work in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reliability of family maltreatment diagnostic criteria: 41 site dissemination field trial.

R. E. Heyman and A. M. S. Slep (see record 2006-10939-007) developed and conducted an effectiveness trial of a diagnostic system for child and partner maltreatment. The current investigation tested the widespread dissemination of the diagnostic system at 41 child and partner maltreatment services sites (n = 549 partner maltreatment cases and n = 342 child maltreatment cases). Agreement between field and master reviewers’ decisions was good for partner physical and emotional abuse (κ = 0.83–0.84). Agreement was also good for child physical, emotional, and sexual abuse (κ = 0.73–0.89) but lagged slightly for child neglect (κ = 0.66). Thus, multifaceted and content valid family maltreatment diagnostic criteria can be disseminated reliably. Replication studies of interrater agreement of the diagnostic system in typical clinical and agency settings are necessary; however, the high levels of agreement in myriad field sites imply that consistency of maltreatment determinations is achievable in widespread use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relational tools for working with mild-to-moderate couple violence: Patterns of unresolved conflict and pathways to resolution.

This article offers psychologists an insider’s view of couples’ experiences with partner violence. Eleven couples seen at a university-based family and marriage clinic provided data on escalation of violence; 10 provided data on de-escalation, with 8 common to both analyses. In the Patterns and Pathways intervention, the couples first detailed their patterns of unresolved conflict and described barriers that impeded their willingness to resolve their conflicts peacefully. The progressive stages of (a) First Signs of Conflict, (b) Stirring the Pot, and (c) Point of No Return repeat themselves if couples fail to find alternative routes to conflict resolution. In the intervention’s Pathways phase, the couples examined their strategies for interrupting these sequences and created nonviolent pathways to constructive resolution, which included (a) taking responsibility for self, (b) demonstrating respect for one’s partner, and (c) making efforts to improve communication. Psychologists can glean new perspectives from this intervention by understanding how internal experiences influence aggression in high-conflict couples, and clinicians may use it to assist couples in changing their conflict resolution methods from escalating and abusive to more constructive and respectful interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A call for a social network-oriented approach to services for survivors of intimate partner violence.

Despite the many hard-won victories of the antidomestic violence movement, it has had less success in reaching one of its own primary goals: that of making intimate partner violence a problem of the community rather than a problem between two individuals. Most mainstream domestic violence service models have not prioritized ongoing engagement of survivors' informal social support networks as a core part of their work. Yet the perpetration of domestic violence occurs within a community context that contributes to the maintenance or alleviation of the problem. Given extensive research on the centrality of social networks to the fabric of survivors' daily lives, as well as their ongoing safety and emotional well-being, it is critical to consider how domestic violence services and systems can align with these social networks more effectively. Following a review of research on the role of informal social support in survivors' lives, this article calls for a shift in mainstream domestic violence services toward a more network-oriented approach, one that highlights potential partnerships between professionals and survivors' informal social support networks. Such a shift would require a reconceptualization of the role of the domestic violence practitioner and the scope and nature of services. It would also raise a series of emergent research questions about how informal network members can best support survivors, how domestic violence services can help survivors engage with existing and new supporters, and the extent to which specific types of network-oriented practices can indeed improve survivors' safety and well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multivariate models of mothers' and fathers' aggression toward their children.

Multivariate, biopsychosocial, explanatory models of mothers' and fathers' psychological and physical aggression toward their 3- to 7-year-old children were fitted and cross-validated in 453 representatively sampled families. Models explaining mothers' and fathers' aggression were substantially similar. Surprisingly, many variables identified as risk factors in the parental aggression and physical child abuse literatures, such as income, unrealistic expectations, and alcohol problems, although correlated with aggression bivariately, did not contribute uniquely to the models. In contrast, a small number of variables (i.e., child responsible attributions, overreactive discipline style, anger expression, and attitudes approving of aggression) appeared to be important pathways to parent aggression, mediating the effects of more distal risk factors. Models accounted for a moderate proportion of the variance in aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How employment helps female victims of intimate partner violence: A qualitative study.

This exploratory, qualitative study documents ways in which being employed is helpful to victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 21 women employed by a large health care organization in a major U.S. city. Through content analysis, the authors identified six ways in which employment was helpful to participants: by (1) improving their finances, (2) promoting physical safety, (3) increasing self-esteem, (4) improving social connectedness, (5) providing mental respite, and (6) providing motivation or a "purpose in life." Findings suggest that employment can play a critically important, positive role in the lives of IPV victims. The importance of flexible leave-time policies and employer assistance to IPV victims is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)